Why The Bulls and Carmelo Anthony Need Each Other

If you follow the National Basketball Association then you know that there are some pretty big names out there with the ability to opt out of their contracts this summer. Most notably Lebron, Wade, and Chris Bosh. However, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony can opt out as well. There have been rumors that Chicago is his preferred destination, with Los Angeles a close second. The Bulls would have to make room for him financially, but they have to make it happen. And here are three reasons why he needs to leave New York:

Reason 1- In the NBA, with exception of the 2004 Detroit Pistons and 2011 Dallas Mavericks, every championship team has at least 2 superstars. And Chicago's lone star Derrick Rose, has been injury prone and there is concern about his longevity. But he can't carry the team on those achy knees any longer. He is the focal point of the offense and teams put their best defenders on him in the 4th quarter. Anthony provides the other scoring option that Chicago needs to take some of that attention off Derrick. And Anthony needs the help just as bad. As a Bull, he wouldn't need to shoot 30 times a game and score 35 points a night.

Reason 2- The Bulls are a defensive dominant team, and defense isn't Melo's forte. However, they currently have defensive liability Carlos Boozer and are still a top 5 defense under coach Tom Thibodeau; so that's not a valid argument. But they have always lacked the offensive firepower to keep up with the Miami Heat. Carmelo once averaged 27.8 pts per game in a 5 game series loss to the Heat in 2012. And that was with a mediocre Knicks squad. Imagine if he had the likes of Rose, Joakim Noah, or Taj Gibson with him? With a healthy Rose and Carmelo, I would take Chicago over Miami in a 7 game series any day.

Reason 3- The Knicks won't be a real threat in the Eastern conference for a while. Even with Anthony, they will never truly threaten the Heat, Pacers or Bulls. And if Brooklyn can ever get healthy, they wont even the best team in their own state! So if Carmelo is serious about winning a title, the Bulls are his best opportunity. He will be 30 this year, so he only has about 3-4 good years left in him. And the only advantage he has of staying in New York is that under the collective bargaining agreement they can offer him 5 years/129 million versus 4 years/96 million from other suitors. Now, I do understand that an extra year and 33 million more dollars is nothing to scoff at, but does he want to make more money or get that elusive title? We shall see in about 5 months. Don't hold your breath Bulls and Knicks fans!

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Comments

Feb 11, 2014 12:10pm

RLoftis4
'Melo gets such a bad rap so often that seeing something positive about him is actually kind of refreshing. I wouldn't have believed he could be a good fit with the Bulls (or really, anyone) before reading this, but you've convinced me. I'm sure the Knicks would be happy to see him go.

Feb 11, 2014 4:42pm

Rayhoop22
I agree. I've never been a big fan of Melo. I believe he played his best ball when he was on the Olympic team. In fact, I thought he was the best player. It was actually shocking to me. But had help around him and didn't have to take all the shots. So we'll see what happens.

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